Category: Business and Entreprenuership

Why Speaking is the Key to More Revenue for Your Business

I spent some time this week responding to e-mails from aspiring speakers. I started down the road to becoming a speaker in 2002. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. I didn’t understand the realities of professional speaking. I just knew that I wanted to share my experiences and expertise to help others improve their lives. I invested eight years learning about the business though. Today, I run a speaker bureau and also provide a suite of services for professional speakers. And I also still speak to audiences sharing my experiences and expertise.

I commonly get e-mails from speakers who want someone to do all the booking work for them. Most of them have never successfully booked themselves. Here’s the dirty little secret in the speaking business: speaker bureaus are not interested in a speaker until the speaker no longer needs them. It’s nothing personal; it’s just that bureaus work on commission. In the beginning, speakers make very small fees. It takes a ton of work to get a newbie speaker a single paid speaking engagement. If I have only so many hours in the day, I’m going to spend them searching for hiring organizations that have larger speaker budgets so I net a handsome commission. Larger budgets mean that I’m going to be placing advanced speakers who earn larger fees.

Professional speaker Scott Huse engaging audience members with a group activity at an International Association of Administrative Professionals Conference

It is the dream of so many aspiring speakers to make a living speaking. Let me be clear: professional speaking is not a dream. It’s a business — a tough, expensive business. I submit to you that it has a higher failure rate than restaurants or even magazines. I’ve learned to sort out the aspiring speakers and evaluate who is likely to succeed. They come in two types generally: those who are fed by being on the platform and those who feel called to share their expertise or experience.

The latter may not always be great speakers today but they have a good foundation to build on. They have a message that can improve someone’s condition. The first group needs the applause and will burn up in the caustic atmosphere of audience and client feedback. Not every speech gets a standing ovation. In fact, most don’t. It doesn’t mean the speaker wasn’t successful and met the client’s objectives. And all audience members don’t think every speaker is great and don’t mind telling the speaker that. And being normal humans, speakers take criticism hard.

Pursuing professional speaking as a business is as much about sales and marketing as it is about developing a good keynote or program.

Pursuing professional speaking as a business is as much about sales and marketing as it is about developing a good keynote or program. If you’ve ever sold anything, you know it’s a numbers game — how many no’s does it take to get to a yes? Most people who want to get into the speaking business have never sold anything. They are unprepared for the rejection that comes with sales. It takes a speaker a long time to really identify their most-profitable target client and craft the right way to start a conversation that leads to a booking. That includes a lot of mistakes — and rejection — to refine the winning sales approach.

When you combine how difficult it is to get a chance to even speak for free with the tough feedback and the rejection of being in sales, you can see why few speakers make it. And it takes about five years to make paycheck-replacement income. There is a lot of speaking for free and very small fees in the beginning. To compound the challenge, no one can book a speaker until the speaker understands how to market and book themselves. Speakers need to discover and define who they’ve earned the right to speak to and what they have to teach that people are willing to pay for. There are many great speakers who have no idea how to do that, so they are not booked very often — or at all. There are a lot of average speakers who know exactly how to market themselves and are booked all the time.

Most aspiring speakers reach out to me so that I can discover them. After a few questions or clicks on their websites, I realize they don’t have what they need for me to ever submit them to my client. They don’t have a list of topics and complete descriptions, a one sheet (a speaker marketing piece), a website with audio or video or a live program, or even a professional e-mail address. That is why I added a suite of marketing tools to my publishing company services. I could tell them what they needed but then they’d have to go figure out where to get those things. I focused my business on the needs of professionals who use the spoken word to drive their career.

Here’s what is far more realistic: using speaking to brand yourself and your business. There are many opportunities to speak to organizations and audiences that can drive sales to your company without speaking for money.

Only a tiny fraction of aspiring speakers become full-time pros. Here’s what is far more realistic: using speaking to brand yourself and your business. There are many opportunities to speak to organizations and audiences that can drive sales to your company without speaking for money. I love it when a subject matter expert actively seeks out breakout sessions at industry conferences where they can showcase their expertise. Those audiences often include prospective clients. That can open the door to business opportunities worth ten or even a hundred times what the speaker on the conference main stage was paid to speak.

Even if you speak for no money to market your company, it pays to treat it like a full-time professional speaking role. That means recording and posting your live speeches, having a professional one-sheet, investing in a website and professional photos, and blogging on your topic. Building your personal brand will take you even farther. Whether you work for a company or own it, positioning yourself as a subject matter expert will help you get in front of audiences who can hire you and drive more profitability to your company’s bottom line. And in today’s world, expertise is what your customers are willing to pay more for.

About Carrie

Carrie Perrien Smith MBA is a training, communication, and publishing industry veteran. Since running screaming from her corporate training and communications career over eleven years ago, she’s not only become a speaker but runs a professional speaker bureau and a publishing company that primarily serves the needs of speakers who write and writers who speak. She is also the host of Business: Engaged! radio show for business owners on Blogtalkradio. Her most recent book is called Currency: Striking Networking Gold in a Relationship Economy. If her free time, she is a community activist, home improvement junkie, and singer in a party band called Paper Jam. You can learn more about Carrie and her company, Soar with Eagles at www.soarhigher.com.

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/how-to-make-money-speaking/

I’m in a band with my husband and three friends. We’re a newer band but we’ve grown into serious musicians with a high level of work ethic. We started playing outside the garage sixteen months ago.

We’ve learned a lot in the last year — things like working as a team, building a following (because most bars aren’t really hiring a band; they are hiring a crowd), and choosing the right songs. Playing out has given us great insights. Our band’s brand and playlist are well-defined and we like each other. No unnecessary drama; just rock and roll.

A Band is Like a Typical Business

You know how it is. When your business is new, you are just dying to get a customer — any customer. You take anything that remotely fits just to get some revenue coming in. And truthfully in the beginning, you don’t really have a good idea of who the best type of customer for you is. It’s a learning process. It takes time to gain that gut instinct that tells you “This is the right one” or “Run!”

Our band is finally starting to really connect with our gut instinct. We’ve filled our calendar with appearances at any place that would give us a chance. We’ve played a good number of venues and events. With just six weekends left to book for this year, we can start to be choosy.

Aha!

One of the most important lessons that gelled for me this last weekend was one I learned many years ago in my business: it pays to ask the right questions.

Here’s what drove the lesson home for me. We returned to play at a bar this last weekend that was one of our first gigs. It was a tough experience the first time, mostly because we were new to everything: the setup of the venue, most of our songs, the need to make sure you get paid before you walk out at the end of the night, and bar manager expectations.

The bar manager voiced her disappointment that we didn’t have many of our own following at that first gig. Remember that I said a bar isn’t hiring a band, they are hiring a following. Since that is important to have a following, we waited for a year to go back.

The thing to remember about a following is that there are different reasons people come out to see your band. Some wait for an appearance at a venue close to them. Some won’t go to a smoky bar. Some have prior commitments on the nights you play. Some only come to an early show. . This isn’t something you have to worry about when you play a private party.

I haven’t figured out what that ideal follower number is where we can schedule a show and count on thirty or more people to come to our show just to see us. I’m sure there is a tipping point too where suddenly you start racking up the followers. I’m looking forward to that day for sure.

Since we are still building that coveted following, we’ve worked to put more money on a bar owner’s bottom line in other ways. These are especially beneficial for a bar that has an established customer base:

Putting on a great show with short breaks so people stay in the bar longer.

Fast Forward a Year

The bar manager has hired us back. We are booked for two dates but she tells us that we better have a following if we’re going to get the second date. Last weekend was the first date.

We did a great show. We were prepared. We promoted the show heavily to our following. We had a successful setup. We had great comments and interaction from the customers. The customers stayed for two or more sets. We reminded customers about upcoming bands and events at the bar. The servers had a stellar night for tips too. Most of those results usually mean more bottom line revenue, but I don’t know those final numbers.

I checked in with the bar manager later in the evening to see how she thought things were going. She wanted to know where our following was. Didn’t we have one? She could only see four people who were not her regular customers. I knew we had a few more people say they were coming who didn’t. That was typical. And frankly, I expected her to have a few more customers of her own too.

I’ve had a lot of tough experiences
because I didn’t ask the right questions.
I’ve also felt some temporary angst
when I turned something away,
especially at a time when
I really needed the work.

After I asked some questions, I realized that her only success objective was whether new customers came into her bar. She measured nothing else. She expected us to bring in enough new people to clear our fee in $5 cover charges because her regulars weren’t enough to do that. Needless to say, we didn’t meet her expectations.

We regard our relationships with our bar managers as a mutually beneficial business arrangement. I’ve done a good job of asking questions about how things went at the end of the night. However, my husband handles most of our booking. He’s the initial point of contact for our venues and event planners. His questions involve fees, dates, and times.

He’s never asked about their objectives, but I bet he will from now on. We knew that she expected a following. If he had asked enough questions, we would have realized that she expected to pay our fee with the revenue from cover charges. We would have known that our typical five to ten followers were not going to make up for her lack of regular customers.

If we had asked what bands normally bring the most people, we would have realized that she has a far bigger regular crowd with a country band. We should have asked what she planned to do to promote our appearance. We would have discovered she wouldn’t do anything. With these important details, we could determine that we would fail to meet her objectives. In essence, we weren’t a fit for her establishment and should have turned down the invitation to play.

The last thing we want is an unhappy customer. We offered to release the next date with her so she can bring in another band whose following is likely to come to her bar. She accepted our offer. There’s a month so hopefully we fill our open date with a bar that is a better fit. She has a good chance at finding another band. We’ve already turned down several offers for that weekend in past months because we were booked. Unfortunately, there are far more great bands than bars here. I’m not certain that we’ll fill the date unless another band cancels at a venue we normally play.

Questions Should Help You Determine if This is the Right Relationship

My business is ten years old this month. I learned to ask the right questions in the first few years. The answers I received when I asked the right questions told me about client objectives and whether I could meet them. I learned what I needed to make on a job to pay the bills and make it worth my time. I also learned how to change unrealistic expectations if possible. If not, I learned how to decline politely or refer them to someone who was a better fit.

I’ve had a lot of tough experiences because I didn’t ask the right questions. I’ve also had some temporary angst when I turned something away, especially at a time when I really needed the work. But time after time, customers either came back with realistic expectations or I was approached by a suitable customer that I could serve well. Lesson learned then. Lesson learned now with the band.

About Carrie

Carrie Perrien Smith MBA is a training, communication, and publishing industry veteran. Since running screaming from her corporate training and communications career over eleven years ago, she’s not only become a speaker but runs a professional speaker bureau and a publishing company that primarily serves the needs of speakers who write and writers who speak. She is also the host of Business: Engaged! radio show for business owners on Blogtalkradio. Her most recent book is called Currency: Striking Networking Gold in a Relationship Economy. If her free time, she is a community activist, home improvement junkie, and singer in a party band called Paper Jam. You can learn more about Carrie and her company, Soar with Eagles at www.soarhigher.com.

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/it-pays-to-ask-the-right-questions/

A few months ago, we talked about how building ownership is one way business owners create wealth.
Those who buy their buildings can save on their taxes as well. There is a lesser-known tax accounting technique called tax segregation that can save them thousands of dollars more.

In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we welcome John Ervin CPA of Frost PLLC. His area of specialty is construction and real estate. He’ll explain what cost segregation is and how much it can save building owners on their taxes. He’ll give some examples and talk about who is most likely to benefit the most.

If you’d like to listen to the episode on how to build wealth with building ownership, click here.

In the product and service spotlight, we feature Trident Coaching Systems. They are John Maxwell-certified coaches who work with business professionals. They talk about how their work helps clients go from good to great.

And I’m taking you with me on my journey to write my next book. I’ll share my process for writing the book and give you updates on my progress. This week, I talk about choosing your book title. If you want to catch the previous episode where I talked about getting your topics organized using mind-mapping, click here.

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

Episode 45

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/how-cost-segregation-saves-building-owners-money/

Today’s technology has opened up an almost-unlimited number of startup possibilities. The internet allows us to work anywhere and do business with almost anyone. That is why tech startups are providing options that we never dreamed possible 20 years ago. And tech startups are creating new economic drivers that are shaping the future of business communities around the world.

In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we welcome Jeannette Balleza. She is the director of The ARK Startup Accelerator Challenge. The program debuted in 2012 and is now selecting their next set of tech startups to lead through this three-month journey.

Based in Northwest Arkansas, the most recent ARK Challenge has drawn over 80 applications from 14 states and 14 countries. They will select just 10 companies for this program that offers each one $20,000 in seed money, free office space during the program, access to over 50 mentors, and the chance to present their idea to investors at the end of the program. It is a dream-come-true for entrepreneurs who have grown accustomed to creating these startups on a shoestring budget using a laptop in a coffee shop.

You can follow Jeannette on Twitter at @netscribe or click here to learn more about Jeannette’s company.

And I’m taking you with me on my journey to write my next book. I’ll share my process for writing the book and give you updates on my progress. This week, I talk about getting your topics organized using mind-mapping. If you want to catch the previous episode where I talked about setting goals and planning for book writing time, click here.

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

Episode 44

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/accelerating-tech-startups/

Success in business today requires a complex chemistry of people, product, value, and customer experience.

In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we welcome Jim Knight. He spent over 20 years with the iconic Hard Rock Cafe, one of the more recognized brands in the world. Their success is due as much to the people who work in the organization and the company culture as it is clever marketing. Today, Jim works with companies to revolutionize their culture so they set the stage for employee performance that rocks.

And over the coming weeks, I’m taking you with me on my journey to write my next book. I’ll share my process for writing the book and give you updates on my progress. I’ve decided what topics I’ll write about, so this week, I talk about setting goals and planning my book-writing time. If you want to catch the previous episode where I talked about the book writing process, click here.

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

Episode 43

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/employee-performance-that-rocks/

Learn how to create a lasting and profitable connection with your customers and prospects using today’s social media tools. Host Carrie Perrien Smith welcomes Ted Rubin, co-author of Return on Relationship to Business: Engaged!

How is your relationship with your customers and prospects? Do you know what they are saying about you? Do today’s digital media users find you easy to connect with? Is your investment in your company’s social media really paying off?

After this episode of Business: Engaged!, you’ll never look at your company’s social media presence the same again. We are talking with Ted Rubin, co-author of Return on Relationship and Chief Social Media Officer for Collective Bias, a social shopper media company.

Ted is going to share what he’s learned working in the field of social media marketing. Most important, he is sharing the principles you need to know to connect to your customers in a meaningful way and create fans for your company’s brand. In his industry, they are called brand evangelists and advocates. And you’ll also learn more about brand influencers and ambassadors.

Click here to learn more about Ted Rubin. You can also follow him on Twitter at @tedrubin. In fact, you can find him on all the major social media sites.

Click here to see what the buzz is all about with Ted’s new book Return on Relationship

I’m also doing a radio show interview on Your Partner in Success Radio with Denise Griffitts on March 15 at 11:00 am CST. We’ll be talking about creating a brand. Click here to listen to the show’s episode anytime.

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

* If the show stops playing while you are listening, consider clicking on the Play in Your Default Player link under the audio window.

Episode 41

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/creating-fans-of-your-brand/

Learn how to bring out the best in your people and develop top performers, leaders, and influencers. Host Carrie Perrien Smith welcomes Mark Mathia, CEO and Executive Coach for Tiburon Financial and Trident Coaching Systems to Business: Engaged!

It’s been said that the speed of the pack is determined by the pace of the leader. Top performance is inspired by leaders who involve team members in the development of mission, vision, and values. In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we welcome Mark Mathia. He is the CEO and Executive Coach for Tiburon Financial and Trident Coaching Systems. He’ll share methods for creating an environment that brings out the best in our people and develops top performers, leaders, and influencers.

Click here to learn more about Mark Mathia at Trident Coaching Systems.

Episode airs Friday, March 8 at 10:00 a.m. CST. Click here to listen to this episode.*

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

* If the show stops playing while you are listening, consider clicking on the Play in Your Default Player link under the audio window.

Episode 40

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/motivating-employees-to-do-their-best-work/

How can you tell if someone in your company has a mental health issue? What can you do if so? David Duerr of Ozark Guidance Center joins host Carrie Perrien Smith on Business: Engaged! He’ll talk about how to help people dealing with mental health issues.

Everyone has a bad day and, admittedly, your workplace might make you crazy once in a while. But how do you know whether someone is struggling with mental illness or a stress-inducing issue that mimics the same symptoms?

In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk with David Duerr, Director of Business Services at Ozark Guidance Center. We discuss the issues that affect the mental well-being of our team members. He’ll talk about anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and situational issues that can bring drama and trauma to the whole workplace. He’ll also give us tips for opening the conversation with that individual who is struggling, assessing how to help them, and discussing options.

Episode airs Saturday, March 2 at 9:00 a.m. CST. Click here to listen to this episode.*

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

* If the show stops playing while you are listening, consider clicking on the Play in Your Default Player link under the audio window.

Episode 39

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/mental-illness-in-the-workplace/

It is time you retained a virtual assistant? Virtual assistance industry expert Denise Griffitts joins host Carrie Perrien Smith on Business: Engaged! She’ll talk about how VAs assist clients and even share insights for aspiring VAs.

Sometimes a business owner needs a little help but can’t justify the expense of an extra employee. Other times, he might need some specialized help that he can’t get locally. Today, many business owners are turning to the services of a virtual assistant. And as the industry is evolving, VAs who offer more extensive services are becoming known as online business managers or OBMs.In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk with Denise Griffitts. She is a nationally recognized virtual assistance industry expert, online business manager (OBM), thought leader, coach and mentor. She is the founder and CEO of Your Office On The Web and Your Virtual Assistant. She’ll talk about what a virtual assistant can do for you and how to find one. She’ll even share insights for those who might want to become virtual assistants.

Click here to listen to Denise’s Your Partner in SuccessTM radio show on Blogtalkradio.com.

And who hasn’t burned a bag of microwave popcorn at the office? I exploded a bag in our microwave, and what I was left with was a smelly, yellow microwave. I’ll share how I got rid of the smell.

Episode airs Saturday, February 9 at 9:00 a.m. CST. Click here to listen to this episode.*

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

* If the show stops playing while you are listening, consider clicking on the Play in Your Default Player link under the audio window.

Episode 37

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/is-it-time-for-a-virtual-assistant/

Every company has an occasional unhappy customer. Performance and training consultant Willie Johnson joins host Carrie Perrien Smith on Business: Engaged! to talk about handling unhappy customers so the company can recover the relationship.

Every company has to deal with an unhappy customer from time to time. Sometimes it is because of a mistake and product problem. Other times, there is a disconnect between customer expectations and the company’s promise. But how the company handles that unhappy customer determines whether the company preserves the customer relationship.

In this episode of Business: Engaged!, we talk with performance and training consultant Willie Johnson about handling unhappy customers. He’ll share ideas for preserving and recovering that customer relationship.

And in the product and service spotlight, we feature Tiburon Financial. They are a third-party medical billing and debt collection agency. We talk about what you need to know about handling the clients that owe you money.

You can sign up to receive our e-mail newsletter Business: Engaged! Direct so you’ll be the first to know when we post a new show. Visit our website at www.businessengaged.com to listen to past episodes. And don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter at @businessengaged and Facebook (just search for “Business Engaged”). We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers. Click here for the list of past shows.

Episode airs Thursday, January 31 at 10:00 a.m. CST. Click here to listen to this episode.*

Click here to check out past episodes. You can follow the show on Twitter at @businessengaged too. Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page so you’ll find out when the next show airs. Click here to go there. We love it when you tell others about the show so take a minute and post this link for your Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

* If the show stops playing while you are listening, consider clicking on the Play in Your Default Player link under the audio window.

Episode 36

Permanent link to this article: http://businessengaged.com/handling-unhappy-customers/

Thanks for Joining Us

Carrie ran screaming from her corporate training and communications career over a decade ago. Even though she sometimes misses regular paychecks, a cubicle with office supplies she didn’t have to purchase, and normal working hours, she wouldn’t trade the entrepreneur’s kill-what-you-eat lifestyle (most days, at least).

On Business: Engaged!, we talk about topics that determine success for serious business owners.